Military airship.



Patented Feb. 14, 1911.

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MILITARY AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED APB.7,1910.

. Patented Feb. 14, 1911.

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J. E. COOPER.

MILITARY AIRSHIP. APPLIQATION FILED APB..7,1910.

Patented Feb. 14, 1911.

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JOSEPH EVANS-COOPER, -OF CRIPPLE CREEK, COLORADO.

MILITARY AIBSHIP.

:Snecificatien of Letters Patent. v Patgnted Feb, 14 1911.

Application filed April 7, 1910. Seria1'No. 55401-8.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, J osnrrr Evans CooPER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Cripple Creek, in the county of Teller and State ofColorado,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MilitaryAirships; and I do declare the following to be a :tull clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as willen-able others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in air ships for military use.

=One-object ofthe invention is to provide an air ship having an improvedconstruction and arrangement of parts whereby the same is particularlyadapted for military purposes. I

Another object is to provide an air ship of this character-having a mainsupporting a or sustaining cylinder provided with a series ofseparate-gas tight-compartments each of which has an independentconnection with means for removing the gas therefrom or refilling thesame whereby should one of the compartments be punctured-the gas in theother compartments will support the ship.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the inventionconsists ofcertain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement ofpartsas will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

In the accompanying drawings; 'Figure l' is a side view of an air shipconstructed in accordance with'the invention; Fig. 2 is a rearend Viewofthe same; Fig. 3 is an en- 'larged horizontal sectional View of theengine room, propelling and steering devices of the ship; Fig.4 1s acentralvertlcal longitudinal section through the same showing .-thearrangement of the engine room and the fuel storage room above;'F1g. 51s a vertical.

cross sectionthrough the parts shown in Fig.

. 3; Fig. 6 is an enlarged side view of the steering wheel; Fig. -7 is afront yiew of the same; and Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic sectional viewof'the gas tank and pump showing the arrangement of the pipes and valveswhereby the gas may be removed from any of the compartments of the gastank and pumped into compression tanks from which the gas may again belet into the compartments of the main tank.

Referring more particularly to the drawings 1 denotes the main gas tankor balloon of a closed cabin 2 arranged beneath the forward end of thetank landan engine-room and pilot house 3 arranged beneath'the rear endof the tank as shown. The cabin 2 and engine room 3 are connected alongthe under side of the tank l by a gangway or walk 4 said gangway beingsuitably connected and braced to the under side of the-tank 1 by trussbrace rods 5 as shown. In the-forward cabin 2 are arranged the rooms ofthe captain and crew of the ship and a magazine or ammunition storageroom6.

Arranged on .opposite sides of the-engine room 3 and directlyagainst'the side of'the same are propeller tubes 7, said tubes havingflared front ends immediately adjacent the tapering front end of thepilot houseso that the air is positively and effectually directedinto-the tubes in sufficient quantities to obtain the highest etliciencyfrom the blades in the tubes.

Revolubly mounted in suitable-bearings in the propeller tubes 7arepropeller shafts 8 on which are fixedly mounted=front and rearpropeller blades 9 and intermediate propeller blades 10 are looselymounted on said shafts between the propellers 9 as shown.

-'In opposite sides of the engineroom 3 are arranged engines 11 whichmay be of any suitable type. The drive shafts of-the-engines projectbeyond the forward ends there of and have mounted thereon drive'pulleysl2 and '13 which are controlled or thrown into and out of operativeengagement with the shafts by suitable clutch devices 14=havingoperating handles 15-which extend back toward the rear end of theengineroom in convenient reach of the operator. The pulleys 12 are connectedby suitablbelts 16 with pulleys 17 on the shafts 8 of the propellers 9whereby the latter are driven. The pul leys 13 are connected by crossedbelts 18-with pulleys 19 having an operative connection with theintermediate propeller blades 10 as shown. By arranging and mounting thepropeller blades as herein shown and described in independent sets,should either of 'said sets of blades or the steering mechanism becomedisabled, the machine may still be pro pelled by the other blades at areduced speed.

1 It will be observed that although the blades 9 are rotated in theopposite direction to the' blades 10, they are also arranged reverselythereto so that the action of all the blades upon the air passingthrough the tubes will be to propel the air-ship in the same direction,but as the blades rotate in the air in opposite directions they moreeffectually act upon the body of air so that it will be prevented frommerely passing around the blades without imparting any movement to theair-ship. I

Hingedly mounted on the rear end of the propeller tubes 7 are. steeringblades or rudders 20 said blades or rudders-being connected togethermidway between their ends by a connecting bar 21. By thus connecting theblades together they are moved in unison in one direction or the otherto steer the machine. The blades 20 are moved or swung in one directionor the other to steer the machine by steering cables 22 the outer endsof which are connected to the opposite blades preferably at the ends ofthe connecting bar 21. The cables pass over guide pulleys arranged inthe rear ends of the propeller tubes 7 and thence extend inwardly towardthe center of the engine room where they pass over guide pulleys 24 andextend forwardly through the engine room and into the pilot room inwhich they pass over a guide pulley 25' and thence are extendeddownwardly and connected to a winding drum 26 revolubly mounted insuitable bearings in the upper end of a pedestal 27 as shown. 'On theshaft of the drum 26 is mounted a steering wheel 28 whereby the drum isrotated in one direction or the other to wind up and unwind the steeringcables 22 thereby swinging the steering blades back and forth in thedesired direction for steering the machine. On the drum 26 is arranged atoothed gear 29 with which is adapted to be engaged a pivoted pawl 30one end of which is connected by a rod 31 to a foot pedal 32 wherebysaid pawl is held up out of engagement with the gear 29.

When, the foot pedal 32 is released the pawl 30 will drop intoengagement with the teeth of the gear 29 thereby locking the windingdrum and steering wheel against further revolution and thus holding thesteering blades at their adjusted position. The sides of the pilot roomare inclined or converged to a point to offer the least resistance tothe air pressure and also to direct the air into the propeller tubes asbefore stated. In the opposite sides of the forward ends of theconverging sides of the 'pilot room are arranged large windows throughwhich the pilot may observe the course of the ship. On

I the front end of the pilot room is also arranged a search light orpilots light 34 for On the rearwardly projecting ends of the enginedrive shafts are connected dynamos 35 which are adapted to beindependently thrown into and out of gear with the shafts by anysuitable clutch mechanism. By means of the dynamos electricity isgenerated for illuminating and heating the air ship. On the extreme rearends of the engine shafts are mounted shaft pulleys 36 which are adaptedto be drawn into and out of connection with the shafts by suitableclutch devices as shown. The pulleys 3G are connected by suitable belts37 with an air or gas pump 38 arranged in the rear end of the engineroom whereby said pump is operated from the engines on either side ofthe engine room. I

The main gas tank or cylinder 1 is preferably divided into a series ofindependent gas tight compartments of which there may be any suitablenumber said compartments being preferably lined with silk. Thecompartinents of the tank are imlepcndently main in the compartment inwhich the high pressure tank is located. The pipes 41 are also providedwith suitable valves for opening and closing the same. 'By forming themain gas cylinder 1n a series of compartments as shown and described thegas may be pumped from the forward or rear compartment and into the highpressure tanks so that the end from wh1ch the gas has been removed willbecome heavier when thus'relieved of its bu/oyancy thus causing aninclination of the machine thereby effecting the downward or upwardflight of the sameas desired. The separation of the main gas tank intocompartments also prevents the any portion of the same become puncturedso that while the gas may escape from one or more of the compartments bysuch puncturing the machine will 'still be sustained by the gas in theremaining compartments. The arrangement of the compartments of the maintankand the arrangement of the high pressure tanks and their variouspipe connections with the pump and with the compartments of the maincylinder is shown in diagram in the last figure of thedrawing.

On the /upper side of the maingas tank and extending from one end to endof the same is a walk or runway 44 which is guarded along its oppositesides by suitable escape of gas from the entire tank should i hand railsand is connected by a suitable ladder with the gangway 4- along theunder side of the tank as shown. The lad der 4:5 is here shown asarranged midway between the opposite ends of the balloon and at the uper end of said ladder on the upper side of t e tank or balloon is-arranged a search light et6 while a similar search light 47 is arrangedat the forward end of the cabin 2 as shown. On the upper side of thetank or balloon l is also arranged a wireless telegraph apparatus 48which connects with suitable receiving and transmitting apparatusarranged in the cabin of the air ship. At the forward end of the cabinis arranged a machine gun 49 while similar guns 50 are arranged on thegangway midway between the opposite ends thereof and projecting from theopposite sides of the same. A machine gun 51 is also arranged on theupper runway 44 preferably midway between the ends of the ship as shown.Above the engine room is preferably arrangeda fuel storage roomorcompartment 52 in which ma be stored suflicient gasolene or other fuelfor making long voyages.

By providing an inclosed cabin for the accommodation of' the captain andcrew they are provided with comfortable quarters when cruising inextreme weather or high altitudes, the cabin and other rooms of the carbeing preferably heated by electricity from the dynamos hereinbeforedescribed. The cabin and the other parts of the car have a suflicientcapacity for carrying a large crew and ample supplies for long flightsand also having a magazine capacity for high explosives which may becarried in considerable quantities. The gas tank is of sufficient sizeto support the air ship at an altitude beyond the'reach of an enemy sguns and the propelling mechanism is suflicient to drive the ship atgreat speed when desired.

From the foregoing description taken 1n connection with the accompanyingdrawings the construction and operation of the 1nvention will be readilyunderstood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form proportion and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantagesof the invention as defined in theappended claims. v

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. An air ship comprising a supporting tank, a cabin secured to saidtank at the rear end thereof and having a tapered front end, open-endedtubes mounted directly on the sides of the cabin and having flared frontends immediately adjacent the tapered front end of the cabin, propellershafts within said tubes, propellers fixed on said shafts, propellersloosely mounted on said shafts, and arranged reversely'to the fixedpropellers, and operating mechanism within the cabin connected throughthe sides of the same with the several propellers to rotate the fixedand loose propellers ,in opposite directions An air, ship comprising asupporting tank, a cabin secured to the under side thereof divided intoupper and lower compartments, a runway secured to the bottom of thetankand extending forwardly from the cabin, said runway being entirely abovethe lower compartment of the cabin, and steering and propellingmechanism mounted on the sides of thecabin in advance of the rear same.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witncsses.

JOSEPH EVANS COOPER. Vitnesses H. C. HARRIS, HOWARD A. CASE.

end thereof and operated from within the

